A bit over four and a half years, so I've been studying Korean for about four years total.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that no one else here evidently took the test: I saw a few people of European descent here and there, and one African, but it was overwhelmingly people from China or Southeast Asia.

Remember that as English speaking foreigners in Korea we dont really need TOPIK. That might explain why there arent many ESL types taking the test. I got admission onto a masters programme in Korean studies with a full scholarship without a TOPIK score.

That's a good point, most of these people surely have very concrete motivations.

aq8knyus wrote:

Also in regards to Fox, have you tried Yonsei U's 'Academic Koreran Writing' (대학 강의 수강을 위한 한국어 쓰기)? I know its intended to prepare you for Uni but it shows you how to organise your thoughts in the Korean style. It also bolds very very very useful phrases/endings that help you to combine sentences more naturally.

I haven't really tried anything; I'm fundamentally lazy. I like learning new things, but I hate practicing what I already know. Maybe I'll try it though, because I don't think I'll pass the advanced test without improving my writing game, and the thought of being unable to pass a simple standardized test which others have managed is loathsome.

While we're talking resources, anyone interested in the test should be aware of this website, which has tons of practice tests (including listening audio and answers) available on it.

PatrickGHBusan wrote:

Good work Fox.

I seem to remember you mentioning you passed the level 6 test, right? That's good work.

Also in regards to Fox, have you tried Yonsei U's 'Academic Koreran Writing' (대학 강의 수강을 위한 한국어 쓰기)? I know its intended to prepare you for Uni but it shows you how to organise your thoughts in the Korean style. It also bolds very very very useful phrases/endings that help you to combine sentences more naturally.

Sounds useful. I got level 3 a couple months ago, but I have been studying words slowly. I'd like to get into useful grammar and this might be it as most books are on the horrible side of things.

Remember that as English speaking foreigners in Korea we dont really need TOPIK. That might explain why there arent many ESL types taking the test. I got admission onto a masters programme in Korean studies with a full scholarship without a TOPIK score.

That's a good point, most of these people surely have very concrete motivations.

aq8knyus wrote:

Also in regards to Fox, have you tried Yonsei U's 'Academic Koreran Writing' (대학 강의 수강을 위한 한국어 쓰기)? I know its intended to prepare you for Uni but it shows you how to organise your thoughts in the Korean style. It also bolds very very very useful phrases/endings that help you to combine sentences more naturally.

I haven't really tried anything; I'm fundamentally lazy. I like learning new things, but I hate practicing what I already know. Maybe I'll try it though, because I don't think I'll pass the advanced test without improving my writing game, and the thought of being unable to pass a simple standardized test which others have managed is loathsome.

While we're talking resources, anyone interested in the test should be aware of this website, which has tons of practice tests (including listening audio and answers) available on it.

PatrickGHBusan wrote:

Good work Fox.

I seem to remember you mentioning you passed the level 6 test, right? That's good work.

That was a while back and honestly I found it was damn hard work! Still, I applaud you for making the effort to learn. Keep it up!

Aq8knyus, I looked up that book on 교보 and it's broken into multiple levels. Have you read them all, or did you have a specific level in mind?

I got the advanced one as I needed help drafting my admissions essay. As you passed level 4 comfortably I would suggest going straight to advanced. Plus the sort of essays you will need to write for the advanced TOPIK understandbly requires you to use advanced level endings/vocab.

That and the book doesn't just break down an essay as 서론 - 본론 - 결론 it goes further in explaining the structure. Some of main points I found useful were things like '문제 제시하기' '예시 - 주장하기' and '비교하기' amongst others. All of which would be very useful for anyone attempting advanced TOPIK.

Ps. Whilst all the instructions are in Korean it is very clear and grammar points are presented through example essay and simple explanations.

Well done Fox. I just took the 초금.....was pleasantly surprised with an easily passing score for Level 2. I'm self-study, so I really had no idea how I would do. I did a lot of essay writing practice, which I think helped.

I'm looking to try out the 중금 this summer. I'll have a few months off in the spring so should have a lot of time to study.

My main study guides for the first one were also the Yonsei University 'Korean Grammar Practice for Foreigners' and past tests (which can be downloaded on the TOPIK website). I definitely recommend the grammar book as a reference tool. I often just pick out grammar patterns and write 10-20 sentences in that pattern until I feel more comfortable with it.

I discussed the essay with a few others and we agreed that the key is to show your use of a variety of grammar patterns. I memorized 6 main grammar patterns that are common in the 초금 test, and before I wrote my essay, I wrote them down and checked each one off as I used it in my essay.